Butter-cutter.



No. 774,389. PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904. A. G. HUMMER.

BUTTER CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1004. N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES. I IN VEN TOR. W V flfl/" fl/m/wvi a Q \m2 fjgmx/ UNITED STATES Patented November 8, 1904.

ARTHUR CLENNING HUMMER, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

BUTTER-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 774,389, dated November 8, 1904.

Application filed March 30, 1904.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR ULENNING HUM- MER, acitizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Butter-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in butter-cutters; and among the objects attained thereby is the production of a simplified and inexpensive butter-cutter which is easy to operate and embodies essential features of adaptability, utility, and general efficiency, which facilitates the division of bodies of butter into bricks of various sizes.

The above-mentioned and other desirable objects are attained by the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts as disclosed on the accompanying drawings, set forth in this specification, and succinctly pointed out in the appended claims.

With reference to the drawings filed herewith and bearing like reference characters for corresponding parts throughout, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device with a body of butter shown by broken lines in position for cutting and shows one of the cutterframes partly advanced; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the device, showing both the cutter-frames partly advanced. I

In the present embodiment the invention is disclosed with the parts thereof of suitable form and size to operate on bodies of butter, as 10, of substantially hexahedral form and of a convenient size for division into bricks of predetermined weight for the retail trade without waste.

The invention includes a suitable base, as 11, a platform, as 12, for the body of butter, and a pair of cutter-frames, as 14 and 15, movably mounted for advancement and retraction relatively to the platform for cutting. As now considered the base 11 consists of opposite sills 16 of suitable length, a cross-piece 17, secured on the sills at one end, and a rail 1 7 between the sills at the opposite ends and lying flush with the top surfaces thereof, and

the platform 12 is removably seated on said Serial No. 200,770. (No model.)

base and consists of a square section of wood substantially equal in size to the end surface of the body of butter and provided with grooves 18, arranged in the top surface to receive the cutters employed in the cutterframes. This platform is substantially equal in thickness to cross-piece l7 and rests upon sills 16 and rail 17 when in place and is provided with holes in opposite side surfaces to receive freely the stem portions of substantially U-shaped handles 19, by means of which the platform is conveniently placed in position and turned to properly present the body of butter for cutting. To conveniently secure the platform from shifting on the base during the operation of cutting, opposite keepers are arranged on the outer sidesurfaces of the sills, and these keepers consist of thumb-buttons 20, pivotally mounted on the sills and arranged for suitable projection thereabove to lie opposed to the side surfaces of the platform when they are turned to a vertical position, and a transversely-disposed cleat 21 is secured to the sills at the inner edge of the platform to prevent same from shifting inwardly, while a stop consisting of a fork 22 is pivotally mounted at the head end onrail 17 midway the width of the base and extends above the platform when turned to a vertical position and prevents the body of butter from be ing shifted by action of the cutters, and the prongs on this fork fit between the cutters on the frames.

The cutter-frames 14 and 15 are preferably rectangular frames of suitable size to fit one within the other and receive the body of butter freely as they are advanced toward the platform, and each frame consistsof opposite side pieces 23 and rails 24 and 24, secured to the side pieces adjacent the ends, and each of the rails 24' preferably consists of two bars arranged at suitable separation and set at a slight angle, as shownin Fig. 2. These frames are suitably swingingly mounted relatively to the platform for cutting by means of ordinary hinges 25, secured to the rails 24, and the hinges on the outer frame 1 1 are secured to the cross-piece 17 of the base, and those on the inner frame 15 are secured to the rail 2 1 of the outer frame. Thus the outer frame can be advanced independently of the inner frame or both frames advanced together, as desired, and thumb-buttons 141- are mounted on the upper surfaces of the side pieces of the outer frame, so that they can be turned to oppose the upper surfaces of the side pieces of the inner frame when the frames are nested together and serve as convenient means for securing the frames together for simultaneous cutting action. Suitable means, as hooks 26 and screw-eyes 27, are provided to fasten these frames in retracted positions, and the hooks are mounted on a standard 28, which is pivotally mounted on cross-piece 17 at one end, so that it can be swung to a position parallel with said piece when desired to ship the device, and screw-eyes 27 are fastened to the side pieces of said frames, so that the hooks can be engaged therewith when the frames are retracted.

The cutters for the butter conveniently consist of wires 28, which are mounted on the cutter-frames parallel with the side pieces thereof, and the wires on the outer frame are so arranged that when the frame is advanced independently of the inner frame they divide the body of butter heretofore set forth into four sections of equal width and trim the opposite side faces of the body, and the wires on the inner frame are arranged to out between the wires on the outer frame, so that when the cutters on both frames have been passed through the body of butter it will be divided into eight equal sections. The wires 28 are conveniently fastened at one end to the frames by twisting them about suitable screws 29, engaged at suitable intervals with the rails 2 1, and they pass across the under surfaces of said rail and the under surfaces of the inner bars of rails 24, in which surfaces grooves of suitable depth are provided to receive the wires, and the wires are engaged at the opposite ends with suitable tighteners, consisting of eyebolts 30, arranged between the bars of rails 24: substantially at right angles to the faces of the frames and having the wires fastened in the eyes thereof, and thumb-nuts 31, engaged with said bolts and seated on suitable cross-pieces 32, arranged on the upper side faces of said bars and having suitable apertures in which the bolts fit freely. These tighteners are employed to regulate the tension of the wires, and by arranging the bolts thereof substantiall y at right angles to the faces of the frames the thumb-nuts are presented for ready manipulation, and by setting the bars of the rails 24: at a slight angle the bolts are given a more direct lead on the wires.

It will be understood that the cutters can be arranged on the cutter-frames at any desired intervals; but in the present instance they are suitably disposed to divide a body of butter of hexahedral form into one halfpound, onepound,ortwo-pound bricks afterit has first been divided midway its length in any convenient manner, and an operation of the device to divide such a body of butter into one-pound bricks would occur as follows: The body is divided midway its length and set upon end on the platform 12, which is then placed in position on the base, and the outer frame 14 is advanced to pass the cutters through the body, and thus divide each half into four sections. The frame is then retracted and fastened, while the platform is turned one-quarter around on the base, when both cutter-frames are fastened together and advanced simultaneously to pass the cutters through the body, and thus divide each of the aforesaid sections into eight pieces or bricks which will weigh one pound each. If desired to cut two-pound bricks, the outer cutter-frame only is used, and if desired to cut one-half-pound bricks both frames are used in making the first and second cuts.

By arranging the cutter-frames so that one acts either independently of or conjointly with the other a variety of sizes of bricks can be readily cut, and by swingingly mounting the frames a leverage is attained in operating the same, which greatly reduces the effort required in cutting the butter. Consequently a greater number of cuts can be made simultaneously and a large body of butter quickly divided into comparatively small bricks. Furthermore, as the frames are swung for cutting, the cutters will enter the body of but ter at one corner with a gradually-increasing length of cut during the primary cutting action as they are readily advanced, thereby reducing'the chance of the cutters sheering and insuring a more perfectly formed brick.

This device is simple and inexpensive of construction, positive in action, and has few parts likely to get out of order.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is-

1. In a butter-cutter, a pair of cutter-frames fitting together and operating in the same direction for cutting one of said frames acting independently of or conjointly with the other, and cutters on each of said frames spaced apart and extending across the frames.

2. In a butter-cutter, a pair of cutter-frames fitting together and operating in the same direction for cutting, one of said frames acting independently of or conjointly with the other, cutters on each of said frames spaced apart and extending across the frames, and means to fasten the frames together for simultaneous cutting action.

3. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a movable platform, of a pair of cutter-frames movably mounted relatively to said platform for operation in the same direction for cutting one of said frames acting independently of or conjointly with the other, and cutters on each of said frames spaced apart and extending across the frames parallel with each other.

4. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a movable platform, of a pair of cutter-frames fitting together and movably mounted relatively to said platform for operation in the same direction for cutting, one of said frames acting independently of or conjointly with the other, cutters on each of said frames spaced apart and extending across said frames, and means to fasten said'frames together for simultaneous cutting action.

5. In a butter-cutter, a pair of cutter-frames one of which acts independently of or conjointly with the other, and cutters on said frames, the cutters on one frame cutting parallel with the cutters on the other frame.

6. In a butter-cutter, a pair of cutter-frames swinging from a common point, one of said frames having an independent movement in the same direction as the common swing, and cutters on said frames.

7. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a movable platform, of a cutter-frame swingingly mounted relatively to said platform for cutting, a second cutter-frame fitting the first said frame, and cutters on each of said frames spaced apart and extending across the frames.

8. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a platform, of a pair of cutter-frames fitting together and swingingl y mounted relatively to said platform for cutting, and cutters on each of said frames spaced apart and extending across the frames parallel with each other.

9. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a platform, of a pair of cutter-frames swingingly mounted relatively to said platform for cutting, and cutters on said frames spaced apart and extending in the same direction on both of said frames.

10. In abutter-cutter, the combination with a platform, of a cutter frame swingingly mounted relatively to said platform for cutting, a second cutter frame swingingly mounted on the first said frame, and cutters on said frames extending in the same direction on both of said frames.

11. In a butter-cutter, the combination With a movable platform, of a pair of rectangular cutter-frames fitting one within the other and the outer of said frames swingingly mounted at one edge for cutting relatively tosaid platform and the inner frame swingingly mounted on the outer frame at said edge, and cutters on each of said frames spaced apart and extending across said frames parallel with each other.

12. In abutter-cutter, the combination with a base, and a platform removably seated on said base, of a pair of rectangular cutterframes fitting one within the other and swingingly mounted at one end edge for cutting action relatively to said platform, cutters on each of said frames spaced apart and extending across the frames substantially parallel with the side edges thereof, and means to fasten the inner one of said frames in retracted position.

13. In abutter-cutter, the combination with a base, and a platform removably seated on said base, of a pair of rectangular cutterframes fitting one within the other and consisting of side pieces and rails secured to said pieces, means swingingly connecting the outer frame at one end with said base, means swingingly connecting the inner frame with the outer at said end, and cutters on each of said frames consisting of wires spaced apart and extending across the frames substantially parallel With said side pieces, and tighteners for said wires.

14:. In a butter-cutter comprising a base consisting of opposite sills, a cross-piece on said sills at one end, and a rail between the sills at the opposite end, a platform removably seated on the base at the rail end, means to secure the platform from shifting on the base, a pair of rectangular cutter-frames fitting one Within the other and consisting of side pieces, and rails secured to said side pieces one of which rails on each frame consists of opposite bars, means swingingly connecting the outer frame at one end with said cross-piece, means swingingly connecting the inner frame with the other at said frame end, means to fasten said frames in retracted position, tighteners on each frame consisting of eyebolts disposed between said bars, and thumb-nuts engaged with the bolts, and cutters on each frame spaced apart and consisting of Wires engaged with said bolts and extending to and fastened to the opposite rails of the frame.

Signed at Seattle,VVasl1ington, this18th day of March, 1904.

ARTHUR CLENNING HUMMER.

Witnesses:

L. FRANK BROWN, THAD R. PERRY. 

